# The effect of in-hospital follow-up on early post-transfer distress in families of patients in pediatric intensive care unit

## TL;DR

In-hospital follow-up communication with families of PICU patients reduces their distress and improves satisfaction after transfer.

## Contribution

A structured in-hospital follow-up program is shown to alleviate post-intensive care syndrome in families.

## Key findings

- The experimental group had significantly lower C-PICSQ scores compared to the control group.
- Parents in the experimental group showed reduced depression, anxiety, and stress levels.
- Family satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the experimental group.

## Abstract

To explore the effect of in-hospital follow-up on post-intensive care syndrome in families of PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) patients.

A total of 88 families of children admitted to the PICU of Hunan Children’s Hospital from January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, were selected as research subjects. The control group received routine nursing intervention, while the experimental group, based on the control group’s care, established a PICU communication team. The team was divided into three subgroups: the department director and head nurse, Chief resident and Responsible Nurse Team Leader, Doctor in charge of the patient’s bed and Person in charge of health education. On the day of Transfer to another department and 3 days after Transfer to another department, one group of personnel communicated face-to-face with the family members regarding the patient’s condition and precautions. After the communication, the intervention effects on the parents of the children in both groups were assessed within 30 min using the Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Questionnaire (C-PICSQ), the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Critical Care Family Satisfaction Scale (CCFSS).

Before the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in the C-PICSQ scores, DASS-21 scores, and CCFSS scores between the family members of children in the two groups (p > 0.05). Three days after Transfer to another department, the C-PICSQ score of 16.25 ± 3.93 for the family members in the experimental group was lower than the C-PICSQ score of 33.25 ± 5.97 in the control group. The DASS-21 score of 17.91 ± 2.18 for the experimental group was lower than the DASS-21 score of 34.77 ± 5.30 for the control group, and the CCFSS score of 80.91 ± 9.64 for the experimental group was higher than the CCFSS score of 37.89 ± 14.49 for the control group, with all differences being statistically significant (p < 0.05).

In-hospital follow-up can effectively alleviate post-intensive care unit (PICU) syndrome in family members, reduce negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and stress among parents, improve family satisfaction.